Hi..!
A lot of people don’t like three of the five possible things.
First, we’ll look at the not-so-bad one:
Turtles have a thing called a Nictating Membrane, or Third Eylid. You might have seen one on your dog or cat, as well, but it’s not the same thing. It’s a white “eyelid” that closes horizontally, not top to bottom like the eyelids on the outside.
They’re clear, so the turtle (or other animal) can see through them when they’re closed. There is a good chance that your turtle is relaxing, but he is still paying attention to what is going on around him.
Is it possible for him to open it up at any time and do his turtle things? He should be breathing, so check to see if he moves or if his eyes open.
In this case, it’s possible that he is completely asleep, but the outer lids have not been closed yet.
Animals and people asleep with their eyes open are common. You might even have seen the nictating membrane partially or all the way out of their eyes.
He should be breathing, so check to see if he moves or if his eyes open.
Keep his eyes moist: He might have them out in an effort to keep them that way.
His tank and the air could be too dry for him. Make sure he has a lot of clean water. Take him outside and soak him so you can keep an eye on him.
He should be breathing, so check to see if he moves or if his eyes open.
A call to the vet may not be a bad idea.
It is possible that he has a bacterial or fungal infection and his lid is closed because he is sick.
The white could be the bacteria or fungus that is in his eyes. This is not very common in fish, though. Make sure his water is clean, isolate him in clean water if you have other clean water, and keep an eye on them for signs.
As long as the lids aren’t open, this is a good time to call a vet.
Finally, he could be dead and the lids came out by accident.
Then, pick him up and check for breathing, move one of his legs and see if it pushes back or retracts. If he isn’t moving at all, or is slow to move at all, you should call for help. This is a good time to call a vet unless it’s very clear that he’s dead.
Even then, put him in a box and watch him for a day or two to make sure and that he doesn’t show any signs of life at all.
There could be things I don’t know about.
That’s what a Vet is for. Hope it turns out to be one of the better ones.
Best of luck! I hope everything works out for you.
ALSO SEE: Turtle not Moving, Eyes Open
Why is there white film over a turtle’s eyes?
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Respiratory Illness
The most common disease in turtles that people keep as pets is respiratory. There are a lot of different things that can happen, but the most common one is a lot of fluid coming out of your face. A lot of the time, this liquid comes out of your turtle’s mouth or eye.
Your turtle may have a hard time shaking off the discharge that comes out of its eye. In the beginning, it can be very sticky. Over time, chalky deposits can build up around your turtle’s eye.
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An eye infection
In turtles, there are two main types of eye infections: bacterial infections and eyelids that are swollen and red. It doesn’t always happen that the white film that forms when the eyelids are swollen is white. The main thing to look for is a white discharge in or around the eye.
When your turtle’s eye gets infected, they might start to twitch and move their head.
When a turtle has an ear abscess, it can also make its eye white.
People who have eye infections are usually living in bad places and eating bad food.
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Ear Infection
When something pokes their eye, a turtle can also get white film over their eye. Most of the time, this is caused by plants or the ground in a turtle tank. If you’re looking at a box turtle, you’re more likely to see this because they spend most of their time crawling around the ground.
If you have other animals in your tank, like a frog, they may have also taken a bite out of your turtle’s head or eyes. People should not let a frog and turtle live together.
You turtle might get a tear in its eye if something pokes it. The tear will be swollen and look like a bubble. As a result, your turtle’s immune system will send discharge to the eye to try and help with the burn, which will make the eye feel better.
This extra discharge can make their eyes look white.
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The natural discharge
This can be a sign of something bad happening, but it could also be a sign of how healthy you are and not something bad. The eye of a turtle will always have some discharge to keep it moist and clean. Sometimes, this discharge can build up on its own.
Most of the time, if your turtle is healthy and lives in a healthy environment, it will wash away or fall off on its own.
Best products to treat turtle with white film over eyes
The best things to use to treat a turtle with white film over its eyes are these:
You should get your turtle eye drops if they have white film on their eyes. Eye drops for turtles that are good for them are shown below.
- Zoo Med Repti Turtle Eye Drops
- Nature Zone Turtle Eye Drops
- Nature Zone Turtle Eye Vitamin Supplement
How do you treat and keep the white film from building up on a turtle’s eye?
The best way to treat white film over a turtle’s eye and keep it from happening again is to make sure your turtle lives in a clean and healthy place. A healthy diet for your turtle is also very important.
If your turtle has white film on its eyes, there are many ways you can treat it.
Clean your pet’s home thoroughly to make sure there isn’t anything in the tank that could hurt his or her eyes (s). Find sharp objects that might have poked your pet’s eyes, and make sure they don’t hurt them.
This could be decorations, plants, or the ground.
Items like smooth rocks or driftwood can be used to make decorations that are safer for your eyes and less likely to hurt your skin.
Make sure you have a source of UVB light so your child can get enough Vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for bone health, and your pet turtle needs it to process calcium the right way, so it can build strong bones.
Water should be changed at least once a week. If your turtle has a problem with its eyes, this can help keep bad bacteria from building up, which could be the cause.
Make sure to get new UV lights if they are old or don’t work any more If you think that the white film on the turtle’s eyes is caused by a lack of calcium, you might want to think about changing the UVB lights.
Some bulbs are only good for a few months before they don’t work very well.
It could also be that your turtle’s eyes have white film because of a lack of Vitamin A. retinol (vitamin A) is a fat-soluble vitamin that turtles need to keep their skin healthy and their eyes clear. You can buy a lot of vitamin supplements for your turtle on amazon.
If my turtle has a white film over its eyes, should I take them to the vet? This is a question that many people ask.
A turtle could be in danger if you try all the methods above and the white film still shows up. You should still get your turtle checked out by a qualified reptile doctor as soon as possible.
The eyes of reptiles can become inflamed and even go blind if they aren’t taken care of quickly enough.
It can be very bad for your turtle to have white film or an infection in its eye and die very quickly.